Road: Stones sprints to Stan’s RR win

Team Corley Cycles’ Liam Stones continued his good run of form with victory in Paramount CRT’s Stan’s Road Race at Buildwas, near Telford in Shropshire on Sunday.

The 22-year-old second category rider from Northampton – who was notching up his third win so far – boosted his bid for a first category license when he sprinted to victory ahead of breakaway rival James Ratcliffe (Fred’s Cycles) at the end of the 108-kilometre race.

Covering seven laps of a rolling circuit which featured an uphill finish, Stones was one of three riders to go clear on the first lap. That group gradually built up to around a dozen riders at one stage.

They were very nearly reeled in by the bunch on lap five, but they dug deep and pulled clear again to contest the finish.

As they tackled the climb to the finish for the last time, the pace splintered them, and Stones led from the front with only Ratcliffe able to stick with him.

Ten seconds back, former professional and ex-national hill-climb champion Mark Lovatt (Planet X) took third, inches ahead of Team Elite’s Steven Fidler. The rest of the break trailed in shortly after, with the bunch having dropped back to over a minute off the pace.

What they said

“I was pleased with that,” said winner Liam Stones afterwards. “There was a few of us still in it as we went up the climb, but I was towing them up while they looked to be hanging on to my wheel, and I managed to hold them off.

“I’ve had a few good results this year so far, and I’m well on my way to my first cat, with three wins now and other good places I’ve got about 100 points.

“Next week I’ll be riding a few local events, but I’m really looking forward to the Tour of the Reservoir and Lincoln Grand Prix. I did the Tour Doon Hame last weekend, and if that’s anything to go by they should be tough!”

British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.